Uncle
by Neverwinternightsgirl777
Summary: Set between DMC3 and DMC1. Dante ventures to the Orphanage in Fortuna to get his infant nephew. Companion piece to Father. Now a collection of short stories of our favorite Uncle and Nephew.
1. Meetings

"Is there something I can help you with sir?" An elderly voice called out to him, pulling him out of the trance he was in.

Dante had been staring at the painting that lined the walls of this ancient orphanage. Sparda stood tall among the demon horde with his sword, the Force Edge swung above his head, ready to the strike the demons below him. Sparda was in his demon form too, it seemed they never saw what he looked like in his human form. The form that Dante could faintly remember as a child. He looked like the hero, the Savoir, which this city worshipped. _Yeah…try having him as a father._ Dante huffed softly at the painting, the bitterness set in.

He promised himself after his brother fell into the Demon world, he would stop thinking like that. However, the bitterness surfaced every now and again. Dante shook his head and then turned to see the nun standing there, staring at him.

"Yeah…I got sent this letter a week ago." Dante stuffed his hand into his pocket of his signature red coat, pulling out a white envelope with a broken seal. He held it out to the nun and she took it. The nun pulled the letter from the envelope and began to scan the contents.

When he had received the letter, he couldn't believe the contents. Right now, if Vergil was standing right here, he'd sucker punch him in the face. Everything made sense now. Why his brother summoned that damn tower, why he wanted his father's power. _It wasn't just about mom…it was about him too._ Dante thought, his teeth grinding at the thought of it. Damnit, why hadn't Vergil just told him what he was doing? Why he was trying to get Sparda's power? His brother was so damn elusive.

Vergil could've at least told Dante that he was expecting a son.

"I see…you're the boy's Uncle then…and you're taking him?" The nun peered over the letter to eye the demon hunter suspiciously.

Dante nodded. "His mother and my brother would've wanted it. And I…I want to meet the kid."

He truthfully did want to meet his nephew. The kid was still an infant though, it would be difficult to raise him on top of his jobs. Dante would do it though and Lady would be around to help. The moment he handed her the letter and she read it, she was in utter shock. Lady told him she would help, telling him that he would need all the help he could get. Hopefully, the nun wouldn't ask what his line of work was, though the broadsword on his back might be a big clue.

The nun studied him carefully and then nodded. She gestured for him to follow which he did. "Nero is three months old and is a healthy little boy, he has been to all of his check-ups. He behaves like any baby would…"

Dante nodded and flashed a smile. _Nero huh? Not a bad name._ Dante mused. Nero's mother had good taste in names it seemed. Hell, he was sure that Vergil would've approved of the name. The nun went on about other things, but Dante zoned out, thinking about his nephew. What did he look like? Did he inherit the Sparda family look or did he look more like his mother? Who would he behave more like as he grew up? When would his demonic powers surface? Would he like pizza?

Okay, all of those questions weren't exactly relevant, but he needed to know. _Hopefully he won't be a chip off the old block and Nero will actually talk to me if something is bothering him._ Dante thought, reaching up to brush his hair out of his face.

"Here we are. There. He's in the blue crib in the middle there." The nun pointed out in a soft voice, gesturing to the crib. "They're napping right now sir. You'll have to be quiet. In the meantime, I'll speak with the Mother Superior."

Dante nodded and stepped into the room, the nun shutting the door on her way out. The only noise that Dante could hear was the sound of sleeping infants and his own thoughts. He shut his eyes and took a long, deep breath before strolling over to the blue crib pointed out to him. Dante stepped over to the crib and looked down to see a white haired infant curled up in a dark blue blanket. The infant had a mobile hanging over his crib, it had blue bears on it.

"Hmp, lots of blue huh…sounds like big brother already." Dante mumbled with a smile. The infant cooed softly in his sleep and Dante watched him shift around in his sleep.

Dante reached down and gently scooped the blue bundled infant into his arms. It wasn't the first time he had held a kid thankfully. He held Nero and stared down at him. "Well, you seem like a good kid. The nun said you haven't caused too much trouble."

Then again, what kind of trouble can an infant get into?

Nero started to wiggle around in his arms and let out a yawn. His eyes fluttered open and Dante stared down into a pair of dark sapphire eyes. The infant gawked back up at him in confusion and then Dante saw tears start to enter his eyes. Dante stiffened at this and quickly scanned the room only to find a rocking chair.

He quickly made his way over to the rocking chair and plopped himself down. He started to rock around before Nero could start crying completely. "Now now little guy, don't cry…I know I look scary, but I'm not. It'll be alright Nero. I promise."

The infant stared up at him with those huge dark blue eyes with tears that threatened to fall down his cheeks. The rocking seemed to help though as Nero sniffled and whined a little. Dante continued as he reached down to wipe the tears from Nero's eyes. "I hear they call you Nero…my name's Dante. I'm your Uncle actually."

Nero blinked and stared up at him before grabbing hold of the demon hunter's finger. Dante grinned. "You have quite the grip little man. You're gonna make quite the fighter one day, you know?"

As Nero played with Dante's finger, Dante looked down at the child sadly. Nero was an innocent child…but if Dante knew his family legacy, Nero would become a fighter like his father before him. It seemed to be the vicious cycle that the Sparda family had to deal with. Fighting and fighting, no matter what. But also fighting alone. Dante looked down at Nero with a determined look. That wouldn't happen here.

Dante leaned down and pressed a kiss to Nero's forehead. "I promise you kid…you won't be alone. You have me now and forever. I'll never let anyone or anything hurt you. You may not be my kid Nero, but you are my blood and I'll take care of you."

Nero let out another yawn and reached up to rub his eyes. Dante chuckled softly and brushed the hair from Nero's face. He did look like him…his big brother. Nero snuggled against Dante's arm and cooed softly. The demon hunter bit his lower lip, feeling something wet roll down his cheeks. Dante mused aloud. "Damnit Verge…he looks so much like you…"


	2. Nightmares

"Dante…Dante…Dante…!" Dante could hear someone calling out to him, shaking him from his dreams.

He was dreaming of devouring strawberry sundaes with his family. Well, Vergil was sharing a chocolate sundae with Nero, who happily ate the sundae alongside him. His father and mother were sharing a strawberry sundae too. His mother was looking over at Nero and Vergil then reaching over and ruffling her grandson's messy white hair. His father was picking one of the strawberries out of the sundae and eating it with a satisfied smile. They were a big happy family, even his big brother was smiling as he wiped his son's face of chocolate. That was an ideal dream for Dante.

Dante groaned as he heard Lady's voice dragging him out of his dream. He muttered. "Lady…? What's going on?"

"Nero's having another nightmare. You'd better go to him." Lady replied in a quiet, yet stern voice.

Dante opened his eyes, rubbing his eyes and looked to see Lady turning on her side, presumably falling asleep again. Looks like they had fallen asleep on his bed again, he couldn't quite remember what they had been talking about. What time was it? He glanced to the nightstand to his clock and noticed that it was 3:42 in the morning. It was only then that he could hear sobbing coming from the hallway. Dante sat up to see Nero standing in the doorway, wiping his eyes and sniffling. _Looks like he came to me instead._ The demon hunter thought as he watched Nero push open the door and looking in his direction.

Nero walked over in silence to his uncle's bed as he wiped his eyes. Nero was only 4 years old and he already was having nightmares. Dante wasn't even sure that was healthy for someone his age, but it made him wonder what the hell haunted his nephew's dreams.

"Hey kid…" Dante called out to his young nephew as he watched him walk over to his side of the bed. Dante reached down and scooped up Nero, pulling him up onto the bed and onto his chest.

Nero gave him a little scowl through his tears and mumbled. "I coulda gotten up here by myself Uncle Dante…"

 _Stubborn kid. Just like his father._ Dante couldn't help but smile at his nephew. He ruffled the child's hair. His face grew serious again as he spoke to Nero once more. "What's wrong kid? Nightmares again…?"

Nero sniffled and adverted his gaze from his uncle's. "Ye-Yeah…about the man in blue again…Dad."

Dante nodded and shut his own eyes. How was it that Nero had nightmares about his own father when they had never met? There was seriously something wrong here. Dante sighed softly and reached up to brush tears out of Nero's eyes. "What happened to the man in blue this time…?"

"He was…fighting demons…and was holding something in his arms. He had a skinny sword in his other hand and moved really really fast. Dad made the demons explode into dust and then he looked down at…it was me…" Nero sniffled softly. He swatted his uncle's hand away and Dante saw rage starting to build up in his nephew's eyes. "Dad was…protecting me…he smiled at me as he held me. He touched my face, he cherished me Uncle Dante. Then…three red eyes appeared in the sky…that stupid three eyed thing hurt him. He was hurt really bad…blood was coming out of him and I was thrown out of his arms. He tried to reach for me…he called for me before that three eyed thing dragged him away."

Dante nodded and frowned slightly. There was a lot of rage in his nephew, even for someone so as small as him. Was it towards his father abandoning him? Dante closed his eyes and brushed hair out of Nero's face. "Nero…it was just a dream…it's over now."

"But it felt so real! My Dad looked sad when he was being dragged away from me! I want my daddy!" Nero snapped back. Tears cascaded down his cheeks in aggravation and then Nero flopped down to bury his face into Dante's chest.

Dante looked down sadly at his nephew and stroked Nero's hair gently as he sobbed against him. Frustration welled up inside of him too, frustration at not being able to grant Nero's wish and just feeling helplessness. He felt the bed shift a little and he glanced over to Lady, who was now looking over at the uncle and nephew with sleepy eyes. Lady shifted to the side to face Dante and Nero, reaching out to rub Nero's back. Lady softly began to sing to Nero as she turned her mismatched eyes looked to Dante sadly. Dante shared the look with her, he was thankful that she was here. Nero sniffled and started to whimper softly against uncle.

The demon hunter wrapped arms around Nero and pressed a kiss to his head. "I'm sorry Nero…it'll be alright…I promise."

With the combination of Lady singing and Dante holding him close, the child drifted back into a fitful sleep. The child whimpered in his sleep and curled up onto his chest. Dante sighed softly and held the child close as he looked back over to Lady. "Thanks Lady…I don't know how I could've handled that."

She gave him a rare smile and then started to play with Nero's hair gently. "I know…poor kid. He has a lot of anger in him…"

"Yeah…he does. I think he's pissed off with Verge, but honestly I can't tell." Dante sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Lady said nothing at first as she played with Nero's hair. "Does he know…?"

"Does he know that I failed to keep his father from going into the Demon world? No." Dante responded with a soft growl. He shut his eyes. "He'd despise me if I told him..."

"He can be an understanding kid if you sit down and explain it to him." Lady told him. "If he does hate you…it wouldn't be forever Dante. This kid loves you…you raised him, not Vergil."

Dante gave her a sad smile and held Nero close. "I know…but that won't stop him from wanting his father…"


	3. Flowers

"So kid, are you going to pick any flowers? Or are we waiting for the florist to kick us out?" His uncle's voice startles the younger Devil hunter.

Nero sent a glare at his uncle and then scanned the flowers again. Daises, lilies, and sunflowers…none of these flowers fit Kyrie. He huffed and rubbed his face in irritation. He was about to move his right arm, but remembered that it was in a cast. Nero hated wearing this cast over his transforming arm, but he knew he had to keep it secret from the rest of the world. Especially Kyrie.

Right now his current frustration was picking up flowers and the old man was getting a little impatient. Dante sighed and patted his nephew's shoulders. "You're trying to find the perfect bouquet of flowers, I get it kid. I think Kyrie would be happy with whatever you get her."

"I know…but…" Nero groaned softly as he moved from another display, not even bothering to finish his sentence. He hardly noticed his uncle cross the room to check out some other displays. He checked the labels, which described the name of the flower, the species, and the meaning behind it.

Pansies…loving thoughts.

Magnolia…dignity.

Sweatpea…shyness.

Nothing seemed to fit her. Nero closed his eyes and sighed heavily. _Damnit, this is impossible…_ Nero thought and ran his fingers through his hair. Why was getting flowers for a girl so hard? Then again, he supposed he was making it more difficult on himself because he wanted the perfect flowers for Kyrie.

"Hey kid, what about this one? Hibiscus, delicate beauty. Its red, that'd match her really well." Nero looked over his shoulder to see his Uncle pointing to another shelf of flowers. Nero raised his eyebrow and wandered over to see these Hibiscus flowers.

Admittedly, he was stunned by the red flowers that bloomed out of vases. It was brighter than Kyrie's long, reddish-brownish hair. It would stand out beautifully. _And Kyrie is…a delicate beauty._ Nero mused on this, his cheeks burned red at the thought of the girl. Nero looked to his uncle.

"These are perfect…damnit old man. You have good tastes." Nero whistled, impressed by Dante's decision. He folded his one arm across his chest. "I thought you couldn't even hold onto the ladies."

Dante smirked at him and patted the top of his head. "Maybe so, but I certainly can pick flowers for them."

"Sides, I can tell that you really adore Kyrie. I want my favorite nephew to be happy, you know?" Dante ruffled his hair and Nero scowled at him.

"Shut up old man. I'm your only nephew." Nero reminded him, punching his uncle's shoulder with his free arm.


	4. The Last Promise Pt 1

Hello everyone! Thank you for everyone who sent a reviewed, favored, and followed this collection of fanfictions! I will be doing more as I progress through the rest of Devil May Cry 4 and finishing up the animation. (I only have two episodes left, I need to get off my lazy butt and finish it.) So this particular chapter is based on the episode "The Last Promise", but this is only the first part. There will be a second part, probably once I finish up the animation and such.

As with some requests reviewers had made, I will probably get to more chapters based on Nero's childhood and hanging out with Patty and the others. But we'll see on what I write next. Thank you again everyone and enjoy! :D

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"Patty? Damnit, where did she run off to now?" Nero grumbled as he wandered around the playground. Nero promised his Uncle Dante that he would play with Patty today, however, that proved difficult when she ran off. It didn't help that Dante was worried about their safety, well as worried as he would visibly show the children. Dante didn't always show his worry. Some white demon attacked his Uncle and wanted to kill him. Honestly, it was nothing new to Nero, many demons wanted his uncle dead.

The young devil folded his arms and left out a huff. _Uncle Dante should be training me, why did I get stuck babysitting Patty?_ Hell, Patty could probably talk a demon to death and come out that fight with hardly any scratches. He spotted clouds overhead and stuffed his hands into his pocket, it was probably going to rain tonight. Nero spotted more kids playing near a black statue, they were kicking a ball, chasing each other, and laughing cheerfully. They were normal human children, unlike him. Nero's eyes wandered over to the statue. The onyx statue depicted a man in armor holding a sword in the air and riding a black horse. The man was giving out a war cry, his mouth wide open.

"Grandfather…" Nero mumbled as he stared up at the statue.

Nero barely knew anything about the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda, only what the legend said and from childhood stories told by his Uncle. Even from these two sources, there wasn't much about his dearly departed grandfather. Dante had no love for his father, Nero felt completely indifferent to him. Though, whenever he saw some depiction of his grandfather, he did feel a sense of awe in his presence. His grandfather was a hero after all, he saved the human world from Mundus and his demons, and anyone would be in awe of him.

Nero shook his head and then called out for the blonde girl. "Paaattyy? C'mon, let's go-!"

Suddenly, he could smell demon and his growing devil arm seemed to pulse underneath his love sleeve jacket. The pulsations were in his upper arm, the light blue veins were probably glowing against the reddening scaly skin. _Damnit, this is getting worse, I can feel it_. He rushed forward, passing the statue only to see Patty in her signature frilly pink dress sitting next to a man in black on a bench. Their eyes were staring the distance, though the man in black's were on the statue, that was where the smell of demon came from. Nero scowled as he marched over to the two.

Patty blinked and her eyes moved over to Nero. "Oh hey Nero, sorry I ran off. This is the guy I told you about yesterday-."

Nero glared at the man sitting next to Patty, his dark blue eyes narrowing on the brown eyed man. The demon's eyes blinked and gaped at him in astonishment, he stared at him in recognition. This man seemed to know him somehow. Nero swiftly took hold of Patty's wrist and turned to her. "Patty, c'mon. We gotta go."

"Nero, don't be rude." Patty hissed at him, her blue eyes glaring at him. She then looked back at the man with an apologetic look. "This kid is Dante's nephew, Nero. He's normally not this rude Mister."

The demon focused his gaze on Nero, looking kindly down at him and Nero grew uncomfortable under his gaze. "I see…I can see the resemblance."

The demon's voice was soft, placid. He gave a gentle smile. "Do you share in your Uncle's taste for Strawberry sundaes as well?"

Nero glowered at him cautiously and held onto Patty's wrist. This demon didn't appear to be a threat to him or Patty. He was calm and he felt no intent to kill coming off of him. Still, he didn't trust this demon. "I like chocolate sundaes."

The demon nodded slowly and gestured for him to join them on the bench. "Come, why not join us for a few minutes Nero? It is quite peaceful here, don't you agree?"

Nero released Patty's wrist and answered, carefully. "Alright…"

Nero joined them, sitting between the demon man and Patty, causing her to scoot over. If this man did have intent to harm anyone in this park, Nero would be there to stop it. For the next few hours, it was mostly Patty complaining about the old man; about his debts to Aunt Lady, his pizza obsession, and his general laziness. Of course, Nero snorted in agreement to all of this and laid back casually against the bench. The demon sat there and listened to her rantings quietly, a smile had graced his pale face as he listened. He seemed fond of Patty despite barely knowing her.

His uncle was a good man though, deep down, which Nero reminded her verbally. Nero didn't say much overall during her whole rant, Nero was gritting his teeth a little, his upper arm was in some pain right now. Maybe because it was due to the fact that Nero was around this demon. Patty stopped mid-rant as her eyes landed on the golden clock that hung in the park and she hopped to her feet.

"Oh no! I'm on dinner duty today! If I don't get back, the head of the orphanage will yell at me!" Patty exclaimed loudly. She waved at both Nero and the demon. "Well, I'm off!"

Patty started off to the entrance of the park before skidding to a halt and turning around. She addressed the demon, she looked like she would burst with excitement. "Hey! Will you have more free time tomorrow? I bet you will! Come to the Devil May Cry tomorrow and I'll make you a strawberry sundae, okay? That's a promise!"

As Patty said this, the demon was staring at her with a look of astonishment before giving her a smile. A genuine smile.

"Hey! Be careful getting back Patty!" Nero called after her as she ran off. Patty replied back with a simple wave back to him before running off to the orphanage.

That left him and the demon alone on the bench, but also alone in the park. Everyone else had run home, hopefully to prepare for dinner. Nero sat up on the bench, straightening up his posture. If this demon was truly going to hurt him, he would've already done so. Nero could relax now around this demon, but only a little.

"My, she is a spirited little girl." The demon acknowledged, ending the silence between them.

Nero folded his arms and huffed softly. "She can be a little annoying sometimes, but other than that, she's a nice. My uncle enjoys her presence, even when he won't admit it."

The demon's visible brown eye looked down at him. "You are Vergil's son…I never had the chance to meet him sadly. But you resemble your grandfather greatly."

Nero narrowed his eyes. "Who the hell are you? You knew my grandfather?"

"I am Modeus, I was one of Sparda's apprentices. My master entrusted his will and power to me." He introduced himself to Nero with a slight bow of his head.

So this was someone who knew more about his grandfather than his uncle? Nero watched him carefully until the young demon hissed and clenched his upper arm tightly. The pulsing in his arm grew in pain until Modeus gently touched his arm. That seemed to sap away all the pain and Nero stared dumbfounded at his arm before looking up at the demon.

"May I see…?" Modeus asked, his voice gentle as always. Did nothing phase this guy?

Nero nodded and slipped his arm out of his jacket to reveal the devil arm. Nero frowned and groaned when he noticed that the scaly red skin crawled further down to consume his wrist. _Great, this is getting harder to hide. Is it just going to eat my whole arm?_ Nero grumbled in his head. _What will Kyrie think…? She'll think I'm a monster…_ Modeus though, was gawking at his arm in alarm.

"The Devil Bringer…I thought it to be a legend. But…it is real…this is truly extraordinary." Modeus mumbled in awe as he touched the red skin of Nero's arm. "To think it was manifest in my master's bloodline…it causes you pain?"

"Yeah, the damn thing drives me crazy and it hurts sometimes." Nero informed him as he watched the older demon.

Modeus nodded and advised him, gently releasing the young devil's arm. Nero slipped his arm back into his jacket "Because it is not fully grown. Once it takes hold of your entire arm, the pain should cease. It is a powerful tool Nero, use it well."

"So…it'll even eat up my hand too…? Wonderful." Nero groaned and buried his face into his hands.

Modeus reached out and patted Nero's shoulder. "The Devil Bringer is an excellent gift. It is the manifestation of your demonic blood Nero…"

"Probably the only thing I have left of my father." Nero interrupted him in a mutter. That was something that he had come to figure out by himself. He sighed softly and looked over to the demon then looked up to the golden clock. "I better get home…the old man doesn't like me being out late."

"You are still a young nestling, I can understand his concern. Perhaps I will see you tomorrow Nero? I would like to try Miss Patty's strawberry sundae." Modeus gave him a warm smile.

Nero couldn't help but give a smile in return, before jumping off the bench, the two devils parted from there. Nero headed towards Devil May Cry, stuffing his hands into his pockets. So his arm was going to turn completely demonic…was it just his right arm or would it consume the rest of his body sooner or later? Who the hell really knew?

The streetlights began to bloom to life as the sun finally set over the hills and the crowds in the city were still busy. Some people were on their phones or talking to their walking partners as they strolled down the street, Nero stood out amongst this night life. He walked past several stores those lights had died down for the night. He wondered what the old man was cooking up for dinner. Knowing Nero's luck, it was probably going to be pizza, but Dante was normally pretty good at making them something to eat when push came to shove.

Suddenly, there was another scent of demon in the air and Nero resisted the urge to groan. It wasn't Modeus this time, he could tell right away, but seriously, how many demons would he encounter today? Nero turned in the direction of the scent when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned to get a good look at who was touching him, but the next thing he saw was a flash of white and darkness consumed him.


	5. Son

Hello again everyone! So this chapter is going to be an AU within the AU I have created. This is set during Devil May Cry 1. I may do more chapters based off of this AU within an AU if I think of anything to write about.

Also I bought the Devil May Cry anime and I will be doing more DMC animation episodes in this collection of stories. (Probably not all of them, maybe just my favorite ones). The next chapter should be the 2nd part of The Last Promise, I'll probably get it started today.

Thank you everyone and I hope you enjoy this!

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"HEY! YOU LEAVE MY UNCLE ALONE YOU BASTARD!" His broadsword was raised above his head, the blue aura around it sizzled with power. He froze in place and turned his head to look in the direction of the voice. Then, the next thing he knew, a child slammed his feet into the face of the creature.

He wasn't expecting that hit, nor was he expecting the pain that followed. The creature staggered back, dropping the broadsword in the process and clutching his face. What the hell was that thing that attacked him? It had to be demon child, like his foe that laid on the ground now. His foe was so familiar…that amulet around his neck, Dante. _Little brother…my little brother…_ The creature thought and he cringed, pain shooting through his head. He felt his helmet crack and he peered through the orange eye holes at the child and Dante.

The child was on his knees beside Dante, shaking the bleeding half devil. The child had messy white hair that covered his face. He was calling out to him, even giving him a punch to the shoulder. "Uncle Dante! Uncle Dante! Wake up you old man! Stop bleeding and get your ass into gear!"

The child had quite the mouth on him. However…this boy seemed kind of familiar to him. The boy called Dante "Uncle".

Dante groaned loudly, his eyes blinking rapidly as he woke up from unconsciousness. The creature frowned, his foe was awake again. The red clad devil frowned and glared at the child. He tried to sit up as he growled at him. "Nero, what the hell are you doing here?! It's dangerous here! I told you to stay back with Lady!"

"I wasn't gonna let you screw this up old man. That blonde lady owes us money for busting down the door!" The boy exclaimed, folding his arms across his chest.

Dante clenched his teeth and pushing himself up to his feet, despite the pain. He pushed the child back behind him as he scooped up his broadsword, Alastor. "Damnit Nero! Stay behind me."

 _Nero…_ The child's name was Nero. The creature released its face, showing off the cracks in his face and walked over to its broadsword, picking it up. The blade was light in his hands despite its gigantic size and the creature began to circle the two devils. His eyes landed on the boy who stood behind Dante, whom he had a better look at now. Nero had dark blue eyes with a pale complexion and pointed nose. His right arm though…it looked extremely odd, it was red, it appeared the skin was burned off and a large, gaping blue vein glowing brilliantly. His face though…he looked so familiar. Why though?

"Look, he's not your enemy." Dante's voice drew him back to him. The creature narrowed his eyes on the red clad devil. "He's just a kid. You have more honor than any of Mundus's minions. Don't involve my nephew in this fight."

That wouldn't dull the creature's curiosity. The creature broke eye contact with Dante to stare down at the boy. The boy was shaking a little, clutching onto Dante's leg as he attempted to glare at him bravely. That face…who was that boy? Why did the creature recognize him? A flash of memory passed over his eyes, two little boys running through a field of tall grass. They were smiling and laughing, chasing after each other and they had white hair. White hair like Dante and the little boy. Pain stabbed into his head and he hunched over in pain.

 _ **What are you doing Nelo Angelo?! Capture Dante and bring him to me-!**_ His master's voice thundered through his mind as he clenched his head. Why did remembering cause so much pain? Then his master paused through his order and suddenly, his master began to laugh maliciously. _**What do we have here? Dante has a nestling I see. Kill that boy Nelo Angelo.**_

That last order echoed in his mind and he froze though. This was a child though, an innocent child. There was something familiar about Nero, it kept nagging at him. Why was this child's face constantly nagging at him?

He raised his sword and went to attack Dante, clashing their broadswords. The boy stood off to the side, hiding behind a pillar. Nero and his unusual arm clutched the pillar tightly as he stared at the fighting going on. Nelo Angelo pushed against the broadswords and easily pushed the weakened Dante away, but Dante managed to pull out a black handgun before getting pushed away, firing on him. Dante lost grip on his broadsword and it fell out of his hand and hit the ground. Nelo Angelo cried out as his helmet shattered to pieces.

That was the first time he exhaled air, real air. He blinked his eyes, letting them adjust to the light of the human world, took a long breath and exhaled sharply. Nelo Angelo looked over to Dante, who was lying on the ground, groaning. He walked over to the red clad man and then impaled him through the chest with the broadsword, staring down at him with a blank look. Dante made no noise of pain, he just stared up at him with wide eyes. Blue eyes.

"Ve-Vergil…" His foe muttered through the pain. His eyes suddenly looked from Nelo Angelo to the boy. "Ne-Nero…damnit, get out of here!"

Nelo Angelo followed his eyes and looked to the boy. Nero was biting his lower lip and glaring at Nelo Angelo, he could smell the fear coming from the boy. Lord Mundus wanted the boy dead, said he was Dante's nestling, but this was a child still. Nelo Angelo turned away from Dante and walked over to the child, each footstep felt heavier than the next. Could he really kill a child, even if it was half-devil child? Something inside him…told him no.

Nero was gaping up at him and seemed to be frozen in place. Nelo Angelo walked over to the boy and stared at the boy's face, he clenched his fists. This was driving him insane, what was it about this child that was familiar? The boy started to shake and then he grit his teeth. He started to run at Nelo Angelo with his demonic looking fist raised. "You bastard! Leave us alone!"

Nelo Angelo raised his am to stop the blow, but suddenly he noticed the blue vein in his arm and fingers started to pulse and was violently thrown away when the fist connected to his chest. His armor shattered into pieces and his eyes widened in shock. What the hell was that arm?! What kind of a demon was inside this boy?! He staggered back and looked down at the purple clothing that he wore under the armor.

The boy looked in shock to the man in front of him and then back down at the demon arm he had. He flexed his fingers and then smirked at Nelo Angelo. "That's what you get for hurting the old man. He can be an idiot sometimes, but he's been training me to kick demon ass like yours."

Nelo Angelo glared down at the smirking child. Then in the back of his mind, he saw a blonde haired woman with dark blue eyes with that same smirk, the same cockiness, but a gentleness too. There was a flash of pain, but he ignored it as he peered at the child. His face…it looked like his face. _He's…he's mine. He's my child…Nero…I have a son. This child is mine. He was born…_ He came to this realization and he looked at the child with a softened expression. _Vergil…that is my real name. I am a son of Sparda._ He looked to Dante, who had tossed his broadsword out of his body and sped over to Nero. _Little…brother…my twin._ Another explosion pain hit his head and he cried out, grabbing his head and hunching over. _No…stop it. Stop it! Get out of my head!_

 _ **You dare defy me Nelo Angelo?! Kill him! Kill that child!**_ Mundus bellowed in his mind and Nelo Angelo grit his teeth. His body trembled, but he clenched his own fists. His eyes glowed an icy blue. _My name is…Vergil Sparda and you will not bring any harm to my son!_ His body was consumed with energy and he transformed his body into a reptilian-like demon with a sheath embedded into his arm.

Vergil huffed softly as his brother and son silently. He observed them before slowly walking over to them.

Dante had his arms around Nero as he looked to his older brother. He then looked down at Nero. "Damnit kid…you are too damn cocky for your own good. Don't scare me like that ever again."

"Well you were bleeding on the ground old man. Someone had to save your ass." Nero huffed and Vergil could hear a pout in his voice. The boy sounded like him, minus the foul language.

Dante shook his head and clocked the kid on the head. "Who the hell taught you how to talk like that? I swear…your father is going to kill me."

Nero scowled and looked down on the ground. "..."

" _ **Ne…ro…"**_ The white haired child looked over his uncle's shoulder to Vergil. Dante couldn't help but smile a little.

Dante turned Nero around to face the Devil Triggered man. "Nero…this is my long-lost brother, Vergil…"

Nero raised his eyebrow as he looked up at the man, his dark blue eyes looking to him with eagerness and studied him curiously. Vergil reached up to rub his forehead and the devil trigger deactivated, he dropped to his knees. Vergil held his head and he trembled from the pain, Mundus was attempting to take control again, pulling at his mind. _Get. Out of. my. HEAD…! I will not harm my son, you will not get your hands on him!_ Vergil snarled at the Devil Prince as he fought back against his mind control. Mundus already stole years away from him, years away from Nero.

Nero…that was a good name. Had Dante named him? Or had Alicia named him Nero? Alicia…the woman who bore his child, Vergil could've already guessed her fate since Nero was with Dante. Vergil fought back against the Prince of Darkness's mind control and whimpered softly. He wanted to be free. Then, he felt two hands rest on the sides of his head, touching his hands. Mundus's voice suddenly went silent when Vergil looked up to see Nero holding onto his hands. The child was looking down at him with genuine concern, but also red cheeks.

"He-Hello…Daddy…" The child greeted him. His face then twisted into a little scowl as he looked to Vergil. "Don't you dare let that red eyed bastard take control of you! "

His first instinct was to scold the child for his language. What the hell was Dante teaching his nestling? Then again…Alicia had a bit of a foul mouth too.

Nero continued and clutched Vergil's hands tightly. He started to sniffle and tears started to roll down his cheeks. "I-I had dreams that red eyed bastard took you away from m-me…I-I couldn't do-do anything about it."

Nero dreamt of Mundus…? The demon prince haunted his son's dreams? That meant he knew about his son before this point. Anger swelled in his chest, but then he looked down to Nero. Vergil's heart clenched at the sight of the child crying and his fatherly instincts took over, the anger vanishing instantly. He wrapped his arms around the child and pulled him into his embrace, letting the boy rest his head against his shoulder. His eyes then darted to his younger twin as he stood up, holding the child close to him.

Dante grinned. "C'mon…you and I can take on Mundus together Vergil. We'll teach him a lesson."

Dante paused and then crossed his arms sternly as he looked to Nero. "We'll have to take Nero with us, there's nowhere safe to leave him on this island…and I can't get a hold of Lady either."

Vergil nodded and Nero looked up from Vergil's shoulder to look up at him. Vergil gave him a stern look as he spoke. "Stay with me Nero. If I say go hide somewhere, you do as I say and hide, alright?"

Nero nodded meekly and held onto Vergil tightly. At least the boy would listen to him and trusted him enough to keep him safe. Vergil holds onto the boy with one arm around him and gave Dante a determined look before going forward with Nero in hand.


	6. The Last Promise Pt 2

So here is the second part of "The Last Promise", so it took so long. All the inspiration came and went this whole month, but hey, I managed to finish it! Here you go dearies!

It took all of Dante's will not to Devil Trigger in front of all these humans. His jaw and hands clenched as the white clad devil strolled past him, a confident smirk plastered on white clad Devil's face as he walked by. His fingers itched to hold Ebony and Ivory and pull the trigger, letting the bullet pierce the devil's back. But he couldn't do it right now, not in front of all these people.

 _Nero is being held captive by this bastard._ Dante growled in his head. He narrowed his eyes into the distance _. How dare he bring Nero into this situation? He's just a kid, he's not involved in any of this!_ Dante stuffed his hands into his pockets as he started after the white devil. Nero should've been back at Devil May Cry, waiting for Dante and getting ready for dinner! Dante grit his teeth and then followed after the white clad devil, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

He could sense that bastard heading for the park and the clouds hung above him. Suddenly though, he felt Modeus's presence nearby and spotted the black haired demon walking up to him, his face troubled. Dante narrowed his eyes on the man as the clouds above started to rumble, that Baul guy was this bastard's brother. Dante had to control his anger, but the thought of Nero in danger made his anger just grow.

 _I can't fail Nero…like I did Vergil._ Dante thought as he turned away from the black haired man and strode down an alleyway, leading the dark haired devil away from the scattering groups of humans. The night life in the city was dying down due to the lightning storm that was starting and the lights were dying down too. The alleyway was bathed in total darkness as Dante waited for Modeus to enter it as well.

Footsteps halted. "Dante, please allow me to-."

Dante's gun was pointed at the black clad Devil's head, his blue eyes now glaring at him with bloody red irises, searing through the darkness. "I thought being two of my father's men, you would show some honor. Kidnapping a child to start a fight is here shitty way of going about it"

Modeus didn't flinich at the sudden contact of the cold metal. "I didn't think…Baul would go this far. Endangering a child…it is not his normal way. Something must be wrong."

"I don't give a damn if this isn't his normal way of doing things. He has my _nephew_ and I'm going to do _anything_ to get him back." Dante snarled in declaration. He pulled the gun away from Modeus and then pushed past the black clad Devil. "Don't try to stop me."

"Wait, Dante, please! Let me try to reason with my brother." That made Dante pause. He glared at the ground, he sympathized with that. He tried to reason with his brother once, but his damn twin was too stubborn to let him in. Vergil couldn't even be reasoned with when Dante slashed right through him, the elder twin just stumbled away into the Demon world, held in his ways to gain power. To gain power to kill Mundus and to get justice for their mother and keep his son safe.

Dante sighed heavily and rain drops began to cascade down onto them. Dante then started for the park, shoving his hands into his pockets, without saying anything to Modeus. Modeus must have understood the gesture and followed after his former master's son. But some part of Modeus knew that this wouldn't go his way at all.

The time in between the alleyway and the park seemed to blur as he closed in on Baul's position. He could sense his nephew's demonic blood and his fear too. The rain was pouring down on Dante and Modeus as they approached where Nero and Baul where. Dante could hear Nero's heartbeat racing as he came upon them.

Nero was being held by the white clad Devil via headlock, though not tight enough to choke him. The quarter Devil was frightened and shaking in his arms. His fear didn't seem to stop even when his eyes fell onto his Uncle and Baul's twin brother. His tears were rolling down his cheeks as he glanced between Baul and Dante. His right arm's large blue vein was glowing brightly, probably causing Nero some pain as he was being held by the Devil.

"Nero…"

"I see you got my message loud and clear Dante. Don't worry, I didn't harm the boy. Much." Baul sneered with a smirk.

Dante tried to keep his cool as he gazed upon Baul. Modeus gawked at Baul with wide eyes and his expression shifted to calm quickly. "Brother…please, release the boy. Your grudge is with Dante and myself."

"You're right, but this child is also the blood of Sparda. Why shouldn't I just kill this Son of Sparda?" Baul threatened, looking down at the child in his arm. He squeezed his arm around Nero's throat and Nero starts to choke, gasping for breath. He was fighting against the Devil, digging his human nails into his arm, trying to force the man free.

Ivory shot out and the bullet grazing Baul's arm, his arm lessoned around Nero. Nero gasped for breath, but his nails were still stabbed into Baul's arm and Baul's arm was bleeding from the bullet. Baul snarled and glared at Dante.

"Put. Him. Down. Now." Dante snarled, his eyes shimmering red as he glared at Baul. "Release my nephew and leave him alone. And I'll…do whatever you want."

"I'll release him, if you die by my hands." Baul declared with a smirk.

"No-No! Uncle Dante! Do-Don't you dare old-old man!" Nero screamed through the rain. The thunder echoed throughout the air as the rain poured down on them.

Dante showed no hesitation. "Deal."

Baul laughed darkly and carelessly dropped Nero to the ground. Nero hit the ground with a thud and he held onto his throat, rubbing it gingerly. He quickly hopped to his feet as he ran up to Dante and threw his arms around him. "No! Ple-Please…don't do th-this…"

Dante patted the younger Devil's head gently and played with his hair. "Nero…mind your Aunties Trish and Lady, alright…? Behave in school, get good grades, and make me proud alright? And…watch out for Patty too, I know she can be a pain to you sometimes, but you know she's a good kid."

Nero clutched hold of Dante's red coat tightly. Why? Why was he doing this? Nero looked up at Dante with an imploring look. He didn't want to lose Dante, no matter how much the elder man annoyed him sometimes with his bad habits. Dante was his only family member left in this world. "Uncle…"

Dante then kissed his head. "I love ya kid. Forever and always"

Dante glanced back Modeus. Modeus was staring at Dante with wide eyes in silence, he looked like he wanted to tell Dante the same thing Nero was telling him. "Take care of him…take him home. I don't want him to see this."

Modeus didn't have time to react before Dante vanished in a blur from where he was standing previously in front of Nero and Nero gawked in the place with wide eyes. The tears rolled down his cheeks and he could hear the sound of swords exchanging blows behind him. The rain, Modeus stepping over to him and calling his name quietly, the sudden pain and rushing pain in his arm, none of that mattered right now. His human hand clutched his right demonic hand tightly and he grit his teeth.

This was worse than the nightmares he had of his father. At least with those, Nero could try to fight back against those and wake up eventually. He could forget about the nightmares and continue on with his day without another thought of them, but this…wasn't something he could wake up from. _If only I had been paying more attention to my surroundings. I wouldn't have been kidnapped._

Nero clenched his arm tighter as he grit his teeth in a combination of frustration and fury. Modeus was setting his hand on his shoulder, trying to urge him away from the fight. He spoke but Nero wasn't listening. No, the only things Nero could hear right now were the clashing of steel and his own thoughts.

 _If I had more power…I could protect everyone I love._

 _What can I do?_ _I'm just a kid. I don't have a sword or a gun. All I have…_

 _SLAM!_

 _All I have is this arm…this Devil Bringer arm. The proof of my heritage._

 _It's a weapon. But I don't know how to use it._

 _SLAM!_

 _I can't protect anyone…not even myself…I'm useless. Daddy could've protected me…but he's dead. And that makes me so mad._

"Nero, please. We must go." Modeus was being rather insistent now. He was trying to pull Nero away from the nearby fighting, but his pleas were falling on deaf ears.

Suddenly, the sound of flesh being torn into brought back to reality. Nero turned his head to see that Baul's swords had impaled right through Dante's body, blood spattering everywhere. Rebellion had flown from Dante's hands and clattered to the ground near Nero and Modeus. Nero watched Dante fall to his knees in front of Baul, who was standing above him. There was a wound on Baul's chest, so Dante had managed to land some wounds on him before falling.

Nero watched nervously as Baul pulled one of the swords out of Dante, causing the half-devil to fall backwards onto the cement. Baul moved closer to Dante and held the sword above the Son of Sparda's head, ready to stab right through it. The pain exploded in his right hand as the Devil Bringer engulfed the rest of his hand and Nero sobbed softly in pain.

 _Power…I-I…want power…to protect him._

 _I can't lose anyone else anymore._

 _ **Nero…**_

 _ **Power…give me power.**_ A strange, yet familiar voice echoed in Nero's mind. Nero looked down at his now completely demonic arm. The large blue vein now stretched along his scaled arm right into his hand and to his fingers and it was glowing vibrantly. The pain…was gone too, Modeus said the pain would vanish once it was completed. He flexed his fingers and clutched them tightly.

 _ **Power…give me MORE POWER!**_ Both Nero and the voice cried out in unison.

A blue ghostly presence began to appear and encircle Nero's arm, his eyes began to glow with blood red and his expression turned into a vicious looking one. Nero lifted his ghostly arm into the arm to examine it, the arm had the same design as his reptilian-looking arm, just bigger. Modeus was now staring at him with a fearful look. He sneered at Modeus and Modeus stepped away from the ten year old in shock. This was…the power of the Devil Bringer. The power vibrated all around him and he turned his haughty gaze towards Rebellion.

A smirk burst from his lips as he reached out with the ghostly apparition and seized hold of Rebellion. Perfect. Normally, Nero would never be able to lift Rebellion, he assumed when he was older he would be able to pick it up, but with this arm, it was as light as a feather. Nero's ghostly arm then held it up in the air and threw it towards Baul.

The bastard never saw it coming as the long sword embedded right through his head. Nero couldn't help but let out a dark chuckle and he advanced towards Baul. His ghostly hand reached out as he stepped closer to Baul and grabbed hold of the handle of the sword, pulling out of the white-Devil's head. Baul clutched his head and staggered backwards, before falling backwards to the ground. Modeus collapsed to the ground as well, startled by this and feeling the life leaving his twin brother.

Dante however, was gaping in astonishment of his nephew from where he was bleeding. This was something Nero would never do. Nero was a gentle kid, sure he had a temper and a potty mouth on him, but he wasn't a violent child. He never engaged in fights at school, something Dante was grateful for. Nero was smirking down at the body of the white-clad Devil, the head completely destroyed.

" _ **Take that you bastard!"**_ Nero's voice was echoing in an odd distortion as he stood over the body. A distortion that sent chills down Dante's spine as he felt his wounds starting to heal.

Nero smirked as he looked down at this ghostly hand. _**"This…this is what my power feels like. It feels…awesome. My blood is singing and I can feel the demons now."**_

Dante paled as he heard this and he stared at his nephew. It was like staring at a ghost. It was the tower all over again. Vergil clutching Force Edge in his hand as he was getting ready to face Dante one more time over the edge of the Demon World and the Human World. That hunger… that lust for power…both father and son shared that.

"Nero…" Dante called out from the ground, trying to sit up.

Nero looked over his shoulder, his red eyes burned into Dante's blue eyes and raised his eyebrow to his uncle. His expression was almost blank as he gawked down at Dante and the ghostly arm still hovered around his demonic arm. Dante's heart stopped, this wasn't his nephew at all. Nero then averted his gaze to his arm.

" _ **It said give me more power…whose voice is in my head? Is that you Daddy? Why are you in my head and not beside me?"**_ Nero began to speak aloud, pleading. Dante frowned, a voice was in his head? What was going on? Was it…Vergil? There was no way…

Nero seemed to smile to himself and hugged the glowing arm to his chest. He mumbled to himself before the ghostly hand began to fade away and Nero's eyes changed back to their normal dark blue. Nero blinked, swaying forwards and backwards before starting to fall face first. Dante used the rest of his energy to get up and catch Nero before he hit the ground. He held the ten year old close to see that he blacked out. _That wasn't a full blown Devil Trigger…but that must have been exhausting for you little guy._ Dante thought as he brushed the hair out of Nero's face.

Dante stood up with Nero in his arms and turned to see Modeus looking picking up his brother's corpse. His gloomy expression changed when he looked up to Dante and then back to look at Nero. "He is…stronger than I would have believed. For a mere child to kill my brother, someone who lived a longer life and fought for his entire life, it is truly unbelievable."

Dante paused for he said anything and looked down at Nero. "He surprised me too…honestly, I didn't even know where that damn arm came from. But I think I understand now."

Modeus raised his eyebrow to Dante and Dante continued, looking defeated. "Nero just killed his first Devil and I don't even know what to say to him. I wanted him to have a semi-normal life, but I guess I got my hopes up too much."

"He can still have a normal life Dante. Though, hiding the fully grown Devil Bringer will be difficult, but it is manageable." Modeus assured him. "You will have to teach him to hide his power…which will be the hardest thing to do on him. His arm will glow when it senses a demon's presence, which might attract the demon itself, and he will want to do anything to kill it I'm sure, especially if it threatens anyone he cares about."

Dante's thoughts drifted to Nero's only playmates Kyrie and Credo. Kyrie was a sweet little girl with big chocolate brown eyes that Nero had met in Kindergarten and Dante knew for a fact that Nero had a crush on her. It was pretty obvious and the adult Devil Hunter loved to tease his nephew about it. Credo was four years older than Nero and quite a responsible kid, but he didn't seem to mind playing with his younger sister and her playmate. Though Credo was currently also training under the Knights of the Order in Fortuna, he still found time to play with both children and Dante had talked with him extensively. Credo knew about them too, their true demonic nature, but promised to keep their secret under wraps from the Order. Credo wanted to protect Nero especially, not knowing what they would do to the younger child if the Order found out about him.

Nero would be very determined to protect Kyrie and Credo should they come under the attack of a demon, that, Dante was certain of.

Nero was too young to have the power of a devil. Dante closed his eyes as he turned away from Modeus, heading back to his shop with Nero in hand. Modeus would come and find him later to talk more, after his mourning period for his brother.

Upon his arrival at Devil May Cry, he found the place was empty, except with Trish. She was sleeping on her side with a blanket covering her body, having fallen asleep on the couch. How long had she been there for? It didn't matter too much he supposed.

After putting Nero to bed, Dante went back to the entrance of Devil May Cry and sat down in the chair, resting Rebellion against the seat. He folded his arms across his chest and rested his head back against the cushion and drifted off into deep slumber.


End file.
